


Exposer

by SaltywithSarcasm



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Dogmeat is protective, Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Family Dynamics, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, New Beginnings, Raiders, Slow Burn, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:20:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22270192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaltywithSarcasm/pseuds/SaltywithSarcasm
Summary: What was Nate thinking putting a ex-brotherhood of steel soldier in the same room as a ghoul?
Relationships: Paladin Danse/John Hancock (Fallout)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

Danse is tired from everything that’s happened, he lost his family, his home all in one day and now was excelled, left for dead in the wasteland. 

Thankfully Nate was kind enough to give him a place in sanctuary.

The ex-soldier leaves his power armor to retire to one of the many shelters Nate had set up for the people here, one that didn’t seemed claimed by any of the other settlers; He needs the space, to be alone for a little while to gather his thoughts but when he enters the bedroom, there are two beds but one is preoccupied.

Danse stands there in the doorway, it’s the ghoul he’s seen wandering around the settlement and sometimes leaving with Nate. Dogmeat is laying down by the sleeping ghoul and lifts his head when he hears the other man entering the room, sniffing the air towards him before laying his head back down against the ghoul’s back. 

There’s canisters of chems around his bed and Danse groans to himself, figures he would be stuck with the junkie. Too tired to be annoyed, the man walks over to his side of the room to sit down on his bed to take his boots off and pauses when he hears Hancock shift in his sleep with a groan. He looks up and sees that he has rolls onto his side, facing him.

Hancock...looks peaceful in his sleep. His hat is hanging on the bed post and his coat hung over the bed frame, he look so much scrawnier and...vulnerable; What was Nate thinking putting a ex-brotherhood of steel soldier in the same room as a ghoul? 

He could kill him so easily right now, it would just take a knife to the throat and the other would be none the wiser...Danse gets up off his own bed, eyeing the other but stops when Dogmeat lifts his head and growls at him.

How could that dog protect something like him?

“Easy boy.” Danse mutters and backs over to his own side of the room, sitting down on the bed as the dog eyes him. With a sigh, he decides to just settle down and go to sleep, no point of staying up any later with how exhausted he is.

The next morning he wakes up to find a weight on him and lifts his head to see Dogmeat now laying on his bed.

“What gives? I thought you didn’t like me?” Danse says tiredly, rubbing his eyes and sits up a bit on his bed to look at the dog. Dogmeat makes a noise before laying his head back down as Danse rubs his face to wake himself up and glances over to Hancock’s side of the room, the ghoul wasn’t there so that meant he must have got up already.

Danse gets up, letting Dogmeat have his bed as he leans down to put on his shoes and gets ready to start his day patrolling the perimeter of the settlement and perhaps help with garden; Not a action filled as it was when he was with the brotherhood but he couldn’t complain much...

Except the settlement was filled with abominations, first it was the synth but over time he actually grew to like Valentine; Despite being a synthetic man, he was kind and honest, even gave him space until he trusted him but then there was the super mutant.

Strong, overbearing brute with a pea brain to match. He usually patrols with Danse but usually at night when they switch shifts, he’s only interacted with the mutant a handful of times and usually...hears him quoting Shakespeare? Odd but when has Sanctuary ever been normal?

He has no clue as to why the super mutant was so fond of old literature but who was he to question anyone’s hobbies?

Then there was the ghoul and he’s the most frustrating one of them all...he didn’t see why everyone liked the junkie so much. Sure he’s heard of Hancock before while he was back in the Brotherhood but it was his job to learn everything about the Commonwealth, he was the mayor with the silver tongue, who could talk anyone into doing whatever he wanted and he didn’t trust that. Not one bit.

The ghoul kept him on his toes, tolerating him but keeping him at arms length for Nate’s sake.

And of course Nate has him sharing a room with him while Hancock is here in Sanctuary.

Danse groans and rubs his face again out of frustration, he’d rather share a room with Strong than that man; At least Strong is straight forward with what he wants, too stupid to hide his ill intentions. 

“Danse?” He hears someone knocking on the door frame and looks up to see Nick checking in on him. “Nate told me to come and see how you’re settling in, have breakfast ready, figured you’d be hungry right about now.”

“I’ll be there in a sec, just got up.” Danse says, lacing up his boots and stands up to pop his back. “Is Nate still here?”

“No, he left this morning with MacCready; Said something about finding a signal for a place called Nuka World.” He explains, leading against the door frame as he lights up a cigarette. “Garvey wanted to tag along with them since the place is so far away but Nate assured him they’d be fine.”

“I think I’ve heard of the place, a run down theme park.” Danse says anxiously as he runs a hand through his hair. “I hope he’s right that they’ll be okay but from what I’ve gathered, it’s ran by a bunch of raider gangs.”

“That doesn’t sound too reassuring.” Nick replies, blowing out smoke and leans off the door frame. “But he did want you to do something for him while he was gone.”

“What is it?”

“Travel with John back to GoodNeighbor so he can work on some things there.” Nick tells him and Danse can feel himself internally groan. “If it makes you feel any better, John asked for someone else to tag along but Nate says you’re more suitable for the task.”

“Who’s going to take my patrol duties while I’m gone?” Danse argues.

“I think the people of sanctuary is more than capable of taking care of themselves for a couple of days.” Nick chuckles as they leave the room to head outside. “It won’t be too bad, Nate talked to him so John knows to behave around you. He’s not that bad-“

“I don’t like him.” Danse points out as they walks outside the worn down house out into the sunlight. “He’s obnoxious, cocky and full of himself.”

“Maybe this is just want the two of you need? Spend some time with him, maybe you’ll grow to like him.” Nick pats his back and Danse has to force himself to not tense up under the old synth’s touch.

“He’s a chem addicted ghoul.” Danse huffs, glancing over to where the folks were serving breakfast, seeing Hancock sitting on top of some crates, laughing at something Cait said. 

“And I’m a worn out synth that’s way passed his expectation date and here we are.” Nick chuckles, they both pause in the middle of the road and he turns to him. “You don’t have to go with him, I don’t mind going instead but Nate thought it would help you settle in more if you got comfortable with everyone around here.”

“Is that why he made me his roommate?” Danse asks, raising a brow and crossing his arms. “Because I’m not thrilled to have drugs scattered around the room.”

“He has his flaws, we all do; We just all cope in different ways.” Nick tries to reason, taking another draw of his cigarette. “John has had it rough just like everyone else growing up but he’s not a bad guy.”

“Until he goes feral.” Danse remarks, walking pass the synth over to everyone else to grab a bite to eat. He grabs his own plate and decides to sit away from the rest of the group, not really looking forward to the rest of the day.


	2. Chapter 2

Danse walks a couple feet behind Hancock as they travel through the wasteland, armed with his gun and power armor while Hancock just had his rifle to defend himself with. 

The ghoul needed his own set of power armor, they had a few back in sanctuary but he refused to be a ‘walking tin can’ was how he phrased it. He was humming to himself since they haven’t spoken to each other since they left the settlement and he could see that the ghoul was fidgety from being quiet for so long.

Danse just didn’t know what to say to the guy, he didn’t really have anything to say to Hancock. When he glances up towards the ghoul, he catches him smiling back at him before Danse quickly glances away from the awkward eye contact. 

Why the hell was he smiling at him for?

“You know, this trip wouldn’t be so dull if you would talk to me.” Hancock says with a chuckle and turns on his heel to walk backwards so he could face the other man. “We can talk about anything you like, I’m not picky-“

“I’m not in the mood for chatting, I just want to get this over with.”

“Well we have a long ways to go so might as well enjoy the company.” Hancock says, turning back around but slowing down so the other could catch up to him. “How have you been settling in at Sanctuary? I noticed you bunk in the same room as me this morning.”

“...I’ve been doing okay.” Danse mutters in reply, staring straight a head as he feels Hancock’s dark eyes staring up at him. 

“Nate told me about what happened...with the brotherhood.”

“I don’t really want to talk about it.” Danse huffs, getting frustrated but still refuses to meet the other’s gaze. 

“Oh no, of course; I wouldn’t force you to talk about anything you don’t wanna talk about, Man.” Hancock says in defense. “I’m just saying if you wanna talk, I’ll listen-“

“I said I don’t want to talk about it.” Danse says firmly, Hancock stops talking and just stares straight ahead, knowing he probably crossed some sort of line with him. “So why are we heading to GoodNeighbor?”

“Have to get some mayoral business done, you know? Sign some documents, talk to some folk, the usual.” Hancock replies, glancing around them as they walk down the dirt road. 

“If you’re the mayor, why don’t you just stay there so you don’t have to be going back and forth all the time?” Danse asks, glancing over to the shorter man. “Wouldn’t it make more sense?”

“Nah, I can’t just stay and sit on my ass all day; I’ll get soft and lazy, that’s just not who I am.” Hancock mutters, kicking a rock with a shrug of his shoulders. “Need to stay sharp, I’m still the mayor even if I’m not there.”

“But why come to Sanctuary? Aren’t you doing the exact same thing by staying there?” Danse questions. Sure, he sometimes leaves with Nate but other than that, he just sticks around the settlement, helping out like the rest of them. “What more could you do there than in Goodneighbor?”

“A lot, I helped Nate build the machine to teleport into the institute and helped Nick track down the original Nick’s wife’s murderer; There’s a lot more I could do for the people there than if I were still back in GoodNeighbor. The people of my town will be fine if I’m not there for a couple of months but I do plan on going back eventually.” Hancock tells him with a small smile and glances in his direction. “But there’s still people out here who need help and I want to help them, drifters, scavengers, whatever.”

“I figured you were just out here looking for chems.”

“I mean that’s a plus but it’s more than just that, Dansy.” Hancock chuckles. “Not many people today willing to take things handed to them, who am I to deny such a generous offer when it’s right in front of me?”

“You’re addicted, should lay off the stuff before you kill yourself from overdose.” 

“You know, if I weren’t misreading your words, I’d almost assume you cared.” Hancock teases, Danse rolls his eyes.

“I wouldn’t care if you’d drop dead right now, I only said that for Nate’s sake.”

“Uh Huh.” Hancock stops and stops Danse by holding his hand out in front of him, Danse is about to make a remark when the other holds his finger up and points in the direction they’re heading. “Some raiders up a head; How do you want to handle this? Want to go around or do you think we can take them?”

“I think it’s best to try avoid as much conflict as possible to reserve ammo.” Danse replies, watching the group of raiders around their little camp. It was getting dark and they should be trying to find their own place to stay the night. “We’re close to diamond city, we should head there to have a place to stay until morning.”

“I doubt they’d let me in with this gorgeous face of mine.” Hancock huffs, even rolls his eyes. “Have much better luck finding a run down building with a couple of sleeping bags.”

“Don’t Like diamond city?” Danse questions and could have swear he saw the ghoul grit his teeth. 

“Hate the fucking place, full of people who think they’re better than others just because they have it better.” Hancock swears, avoiding Danse’s eyes. “Don’t get me wrong, there’s some good people there; Hell, Nick is from there but some of the folk there don’t like people like me-“

“A ghoul?” Danse points out, he couldn’t blame them; Nobody likes ghouls, it made sense that the settlement wouldn’t want a ghoul around. 

“Not just ghouls, innocent people.” Hancock scoffs. “Listen...the topic is a little sensitive for me, can we just get going?”

“Uh...sure.” He supposed they didn’t have to stop by diamond city if they didn’t have to, he just figured since they were close by, it was the best place to find somewhere to sleep but he’s okay with just sleeping on a mattress on the ground. “I’m sure we could find...somewhere to stay tonight, I’ll keep watch first.”

“Fine by me, I need some jet after this.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are appreciated!
> 
> My first Fallout fic, what do you think??
> 
> SaltywithSarcasm.Tumblr.com


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